The Zen Birdfeeder focuses on the birds and other nature we find in our own yards and the zen principles of ATTENTION, ACCEPTANCE, and RESPONSIBILITY.

August 13, 2013

Chickadee Nest Photo Journal

Shortly after a successful brood of Black-capped Chickadees fledged one of our nestboxes on June 19th, signs began to point toward a second nesting attempt in the same box. Here's a photo journal of that nesting attempt, from nest building to fledge day. I hope you enjoy!

The first sign that chickadees in the area were still breeding was when we saw nesting material being gathered again. Here's one pulling some alpaca fiber on June 21st. Soft fiber like this usually makes up the top layer of a chickadee nest.

On July 8th, there was still nest material gathering going on, with a chickadee taking advantage of strips of bark coming off an aging trellis. A NestWatch check that day revealed 4 eggs covered carefully with soft nesting material.

Three days later on July 11, there were 6 eggs, meaning that egg-laying had started on July 5th with momma laying one egg a day from July 5 to 10. From that point on, mom was on incubation duty.

Though the eggs were no longer covered by nesting material, mom was still out gathering tufts of alpaca. Over the next week, temperatures became quite warm for our area (in the low 90s). That took some pressure off mom who didn't need to spend as much time sitting on the eggs.

Six eggs remained present and accounted for on July 15 and July 19th. I had estimated a hatch date of July 21 (12 days), but hatching started on July 24 (15 days).

By 5:30pm on hatch day, 4 of the 6 eggs had hatched. The chicks are totally naked and blind and it would be up to mom to keep them warm. The hot weather had broken and temperatures were now only in the mid-70s.

By July 28th, I found 6 hungry mouths in the nest! Temperatures had turned even cooler (an unseasonable 65 degrees and damp to boot), so I started putting out live mealworms in a feeder. This would help the parents out as they feed their babies a steady supply of insect protein.

Here's mom chickadee getting ready to bring an insect into the nest. Adult females will do a wing quiver behavior toward the male during incubation and during the first half of the nestling phase. (Source: Stokes Guide to Bird Behavior)

Here are the nestlings on August 1, eight days after hatch day, eyes still closed but the start of some feathers showing. Check out that mohawk!

And here they are 4 days later on August 5, with even more feathers emerging. Their eyes still look closed, and you can definitely see a difference in the development of the chicks. The two at the top have their black cap and more feather development than the chick at the bottom. There are still 6 nestlings in there, just hidden underneath.

The weather remained cool and the chickadee parents were very happy accepting our offers of mealworms. On two occasions, when the mealworm feeder was empty, we've had a chickadee parent bring this fact to our attention by perching on the Adirondack chairs on the front deck!

By August 9, some of these chickadees look ready to go! What a change from only 4 days ago!! In our yard, chickadees fledge an average of 19 days after hatching, so these chicks are only about 3 days from leaving the nest. This was my last peek into the nest - any later and these babies may fledge prematurely.

Just as expected, the chickadees started to fledge on August 12th, at around 11:00am. I missed the first, but did capture #2 and #3 on video, taking their first flight. A parent flies by the box at :06 and visits the box at :10. The first chickadee leaves at :25 and the second at 1:12. Listen for the encouraging "fee bee" calls of the parents.

Here's one of those two, just moments after he left the box.

It took nearly 3 more hours for the last of the nestlings to gather the courage to leave the box and at 2:00pm, he flew the proverbial coop. (I missed it - I was off chasing some other unknown bird!) He did bring some drama to the event though. For nearly an hour, the last chickadee was in the nest alone, coming to the opening, calling for his parents. And for that entire hour, the parents never made a stop at the nest. Since I was not there to see him fledge, I don't know if he went out on his own or if he was encouraged by parents.

Either way, when I returned to the box, I heard him calling from deep within a shrub right behind the nestbox. After locating him, I left the area so the parents could return. He stayed there for another hour calling, with no parents in sight. It was SO tempting to try to do something, but I remembered the advice we give folks all the time, "no one can give better care than the parents." I had to stay away so the parents would return to the area.

And true to form, the parents did return with a mouthful of mealworms for the last little fledgling, bringing a happy ending to a successful nesting attempt.

Our nest box had 5 chickadee young, which have apparently fledged. But all the nesting material is now also gone. Do they remove the nest after the young fledged, or did something else maybe get in there. I'm hoping something didn't get to the young before they fledged.

Miriam, the jays did get some of the mealworms I put out for the chickadees, but not all. To deter the jays, put the live mealworms in a feeder they can't access, like one with a dome that could be lowered to allow chickadees in but not bigger birds like jays.
Wild Birds Unlimited sells on called the Dinner Bell which could be used for mealworms as well as other birdfood. You can see it online at http://shop.wbu.com/products/productdetail/part_number=3488/567.0?os=354
Thanks for your question and happy birdfeeding!

thank you for your pictures and information! I am very curious when I have put out meal worms for blue birds or chickadees the Blue Jays will come and clean them all up in one or two visits. What do you do to keep this from happening?

Diane, you make me so happy! Congratulations on your chickadees and I'm so glad you found and enjoyed the video of chickadees fledging. It STILL makes me smile to watch it and I'm so happy you liked it too!

Thank you for this wonderful photo journal. My baby chickadees flew out of my bird house today while I was out and I did not get to see it so I was really glad to see the video of two of your baby chickadees flying out for the first time.

Loved the photo journal! We're newbies to the bird world and chickadees are our favorites. We put out a nest box for the first time this year and were thrilled to have a pair choose to nest there. Quick question--should I clean out the nest now that everyone is gone? There was a red-breasted nuthatch checking it out a couple days ago but it seems a little late in the year, isn't it?

Kathleen, thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I just love watching the whole process. It goes so fast!!
eli, thank you and congrats on your first chickadee!
Joyce, glad you liked the post and the video. Seeing the first flight is REALLY special. Just think, a once-in-a-lifetime thing for that little bird!

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ATTENTION

Our eyes and ears should be open and alert to the natural wonders that surround us every day. Take time to look out our windows to see the birds that visit us and open our windows to hear them. Walk around whatever space we have to enjoy the birds in nature. Every day, work on improving our powers of observation.

ACCEPTANCE

Nature happens. We cannot MAKE natural things happen (or NOT happen). We can create habitats to encourage natural things to happen around us, but there are no guarantees.

RESPONSIBILITY

Birdfeeding comes with responsibilities to the birds and the environment we share with them. If you are unwilling to accept these responsibilities, you shouldn’t feed the birds. We also have a responsibility to share these natural wonders with the next generation.